Day 86

Mike and I decided to go walking on this nature trail today. It is 11 miles from start to end (22 if you have to walk back to your vehicle). Now, I think I need to say first that we are by no means professional hikers, joggers, walkers, or anything that even remotely resembles any form of exercise. Alright. So, this is at the beginning of the trail. Looks pretty nice, huh? Pretty well shaded, a nice flat and wide walking path. Well, it sure don't stay that way for long! We start going down hills and crossing over streams on what look like 2x4's and climbing back up hills that turn into what feels like a mountain. And did I mention that I was wearing FLIP FLOPS?!? LOL

Alright, so in other words, it started to get a little "uncomfortable". But we kept on trekking! Now, in our town, the bridge that crosses over the bay (the Bay of St. Louis off the Gulf of Mexico) has what i guess you would call a pedestrian lane that people walk across for exercise or just for fun (??!!). It's a little over two and a half miles if you walk across the bridge, turn around and come back. Well, on our little hike today, we had been walking what seemed like an eternity. I thought, you know, I bet we've already walked at least the length of the bridge. I was so proud. We kept going. Another length of the bridge (or I thought) and I had sweat drippin and comin out of places that didn't even know what sweat was until today!! And still, we kept going. Then we meet a couple on their way back, sweating just as bad as me, and asked them how far they had gone. About 2 and a half miles they answered. Hmm. I told Mike they couldn't be right. Surely not. But just around the corner was a mile marker. Mile 1. Yep, we made it one whole mile of the 11 mile hike. My feet were black and almost to the point of oozing blood. I was so sad that I just wanted to cry, because I so badly wanted to be as cool looking as nature family. I forgot to mention "nature family" as I called them. You know, cute mom and dad with their equally adorable kids in their little hiking gear looking all happy. We met them coming out as we were going in.

But after we made it back to the air conditioned car, I decided I WILL be like cute little nature family, dang it! This time next year I am determined that I will be able to walk at least the 11 miles, if not the entire 22!!